- This topic has 24 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 11 months ago by eternal05.
Motorcyle Helmets
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May 20, 2010 at 3:02 pm #3981Sunny123Participant
I am a new ride and I have a full face helmet now, but was also considering on getting a half helmet. Don’t want to spend a huge amount of money just looking at peoples suggestions on what brands and styles worked for them.
May 20, 2010 at 3:21 pm #26608MunchParticipantOh boy……..you just opened a can and don’t realise it. Most on here are hardcore full faced helmet folk and not without good reason. However myself I wear both depending the ride and weather.
As far as what is out there…..Personally I will never buy another Bell helmet. I am looking into outlaw brand half helmets. Make sure what you get is definately DOT certified at minimum. Best thing to do is go to a shop and try some on to see what fits your head shape. Also be careful about local laws concerning the quick release features. Some states have banned them.
May 20, 2010 at 4:02 pm #26610CBBaronParticipantI much per full face or atleast a modular.
In an accident half helmets provide no protection for road rash on the face and chin, and no impact protection to those areas. Statistics show that head impacts in a accident happen more often to those locations.
In addition full face helmets provide protection to your face for insects and rocks kicked up by vehicles at high speeds. These can cause minor injuries but more importantly getting hit in the face at high speed can lead to an accident.Craig
May 20, 2010 at 4:07 pm #26607JackTradeParticipantThey don’t provide very much protection at all, unless in a crash you happen to land on the top of your head.
Stick with your full-face.
Edit: or how about a 3/4 helmet? You’ll get a little more protection on the sides that way at least, and offer a face shield.
May 20, 2010 at 4:08 pm #26611WeaponZeroParticipantFull face or nothing at all IMO. Safety safety safety.
May 22, 2010 at 1:40 am #26650owlieParticipantThere are reasons that I stay out of the gear discussions.
But this kind of discussion at least gets some of the ideas out there and it changes the board up from GXR vs SV650 threads over and over and over again…
May 22, 2010 at 3:42 am #26655eonParticipantLOL…or the V-Star 650 v S40
May 22, 2010 at 12:36 pm #26658Sunny123ParticipantI tend to agree with Munch. While taking my bike safety class the instructor had different types of helmets depending on the ride and weather…..just like jackets…..not lookin to open a can of worms LOL just a lively debate….
May 22, 2010 at 4:32 pm #26660Jeff in KentuckyParticipantIf you don’t mind getting your jaw broke in a crash, wear less than a full face helmet. I broke my jaw once in a car accident, and would prefer to not break it again.
This is the best article I have seen about helmet design, and much of this info was used to improve the Snell 2010 helmet standard, so it is much safer than the Snell 2005 helmet standard:
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/motorcycle_helmet_review/index.html
May 22, 2010 at 7:15 pm #26662gregjParticipantbro you should check out http://www.sportbiketrackgear.com they have scorpion helmets for under $100. which is the best helmet ur gonna find that cheap.
May 22, 2010 at 7:47 pm #26664owlieParticipantNah, that one is easy– S40 hands down. The backfire when the engine revs down is just too cute- not to mention that one of the available colors is a fantastic magenta (they call it red, but no way). I don’t see where there is any room for argument.
May 23, 2010 at 2:15 am #26669WeaponZeroParticipantthe bottom line here is that when youre new especially you need to take every safety measure you can. youre a lot more likely to crash when youre new and for someone whos just in the learning phase to have anything BUT a full face helmet is kinda . . stupid to me.
May 23, 2010 at 11:16 am #26674eternal05ParticipantIt’s all about risk management. If you are willing to hit the pavement in a half-helmet in order to get the wind on your face, and you’ve really thought through what it would be like to die or live life with a horribly disfigured face, then get a half-helmet. If you’d like to avoid said consequences and are willing to put up with a few stuffy moments, get a full-face helmet. There is no debate about which is safer. None. A full-face helmet protects the most likely impact zones. A half-helmet does not. Notice that visor+chin+base-of-skull account for more than 60% of all helmet impacts:
It’s just a question of balancing your desire for physical comfort and risk, and that’s entirely up to you.
May 23, 2010 at 2:17 pm #26682ShamRock229ParticipantJust kidding.
Full face all the way. And not just for the great reasons listed above, but even if you don’t crash, you still have to deal with many hazards and items that get slung up in your face (water, dirt, rocks, oil, bird poo, roadkill, or my personal favorite, burning cigarette butts. those are awesome) I’ve even had an acorn smack me in the face when riding with a full face helmet and just the visor up (I got caught at night with a smoked visor…not fun). Plus, I have also heard that once you reach a certain speed, you actually get too much wind in your face and the helmet/ride becomes uncomfortable. As for ventilation, the worst time I have with a full face is usually just sitting at a long light or waiting on a train. Even then its not that bad, plus once you get going again, the airflow is great.
And if all that doesnt convince you, full face helmets just look badass. ’nuff said.
May 23, 2010 at 3:21 pm #26683MunchParticipantROFL…. see …told ya….. a whole new can!
It is all as anything else is, a personal choice on what you wear as “safety” equipment just as long as you understand the risk. This helmet this and that business will go on for as long as there are motorcycles on the road, and as long as there are folks that feel the need to tell others what they think is best for ya. Only thing that can get aggravating is that the actual question rarely gets answered.
For a total beginner straight out the gate I do echo the concern and highly recommend a full face helmet. Most falls and spills will be at lower speeds and as Jack said…. a broken jaw aint no fun, and there is nothing “badd ass” about telling your friends that you did it at 3 mph and forgot to use the back brake. ( see I to am another person that…well I don’t feel the need to)
Later down the road you decide more open air is to your liking. As with the FF helmets. Go find a shop and test them out. They do make them to different head shapes and depths.
I have a front “faring” on my 9 and rocks and such really are no matter to me, and….well I still exaggerate the following distances behind the vehicle in front of me so cigarettes are not a threat either. I did take a plastic bag to the leg once though… led to an interesting dilemma….. grab it off your leg at 80 mph …now what…. do you let it go and become a 2nd hand litterer, or keep hold of it looking like your trying to contribute to the capture of all things air born? As far as air flow goes. If you have no windshield or faring of any type yea…. the speeds above 55 will create havoc on your helmet/head.
The helmets I have are…
~~HJC Full Face…forget the model number as it has been re painted to my liking. Love this helmet and is always on my bike, wether on my head or not.
~~A Bell Drifter half helmet, although more comfortable of my 2 half helmets I get uneasy about the quality. The helmet was supposed to be flat black textured but after a day in the sun the over coating began to melt and that’s when it showed that Bell being the cheap asses that they are just sprayed the coating over their standard glossy black helmet of the same design.
~~A Fulmer half helmet….this thing is ok, the straps have a lot of “cushion” on them and the fit is decent for my head, but most of the time I feel like I am wearing a bicycle helmet from when I was a lil kid. So sometime for the nostalgia I will wear it.
~~HJC 3/4 helmet…never get worn. The thing is over sized and for my aesthetic taste belongs on the head of the folks riding the Beemers. Or if your behind the big shield holding a baton.I am still searching though for both half and 3/4 styles that I like.
Shamrock…… I know your town, been there many a time and the train near the paper mill down Madison highway has got to be the most annoying train section I have seen.
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